2013 Ford Focus 1.0T EcoBoost Test Drive

Striving to meet ever-more-stringent fuel-economy rules, Ford built an all-new 1.0-liter three-cylinder gas motor. It'll come to America in the 2013 Ford Fiesta, but we wanted to test it out now. So we hopped in the Ford Focus 1.0T, set to hit the European market this year, to see what the three-cylinder can do.

What's New: How small of an engine will the U.S. buyer accept? That question is swirling in the minds of auto executives as they try to meet ever-more-stringent fuel-economy targets. Starting sometime next year, Ford will test the waters with its tiny, 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine. This engine is half the size of the regular 2.0-liter four cylinder, but thanks to a turbocharger, the three-cylinder makes 123 hp, only 37 fewer than the 2.0-liter. The engine is packed with technical innovations, with four tiny valves per cylinder, variable camshaft timing, direct fuel injection into the cylinders, and a little turbocharger made by none other than Continental, the German tiremaker.

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Ford plans to bring the pint-size powerplant to America next year in the 2013 Ford Fiesta. But before that happens, the 1.0-liter will get its first test on the roads of Europe later this year inside the Ford Focus 1.0T. We didn't want to wait for the Fiesta get a feel for Ford's tiny turbocharged engine, so we took the Focus 1.0T for a spin.

Tech Tidbit: Like any engine with an odd number of cylinders, the Ford three-cylinder has the potential to be a shaker. The fix is usually to add a balance shaft that produces vibrations in the opposite phase of those created by the pistons to cancel them out. But a balance shaft adds weight and friction. Ford cleverly got around the need for a balance shaft by weighting the crankshaft to perform the same function. "In unbalanced masses, this engine is now like a five-cylinder," says Andrew Fraser, Ford's chief engineer on petrol engines.

Driving Character: We drove the Focus 1.0T in Europe, where it will be available this year. While the starter sounds like a strangled parrot, the idle is almost silent. There's no indication that only three cylinders are pumping underneath the hood. The little mill pulls hard and strong from 2000 rpm; between 3000 to 4000 rpm, it's the mouse that roared. Even in this 2750-pound car the engine feels livelier than the rather sluggish 11.3-second 0-to-62 mph time would suggest. And the U.S. Fiesta that will get this engine for 2013 is an even lighter car; Ford lists the 2012 Fiesta at less than 2600 pounds.

Still, hills, high speeds, and heavy loads will expose the engine's paltry torque. There is an overboost feature, similar to Mini's, that allows the turbo to generate extra boost for 30 seconds. This feature increases the torque from 125 to 148 lb-ft to get you through that can-I-or-can't-I passing maneuver, but you'll need to keep this engine revving and row that gearshift. The engine makes few complaints, however, and happily storms up to its 6500-rpm redline. The all-new six-speed manual transmission is a gem, too, with finely tuned ratios (less than 2500 rpm at 70 mph in sixth gear) and fluid shifts.

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It might take some drivers a while to get used to the idea of a 1.0-liter engine, but you feel the benefits of its light weight in the Focus. Thanks to losing 66 pounds in its nose, the Focus 1.0T handles much better than its brethren, with better turn-in to the corners and a supple, comfortable ride quality. Braking, too, feels more positive, with less nose dive as you apply the anchors. It's quiet and refined—lift off the throttle and the Focus rolls like an escaped marble. The exact fuel economy figures are still a ways off, but we expect the new Focus to handily out-thrift the Focus SFE and get hybrid-like fuel economy—around 45 mpg on the highway.

Favorite Detail: Compared with chains, camshaft drivebelts are quieter and consume less power. But they are also vulnerable, require regular replacing, and if they do break, they can wreck the engine. On this tiny Ford engine, the twin camshafts are driven by an oil-lubricated belt, which unlike normal drivebelts, should last the life of the engine.

Driver's Grievance: Apart from the screeching starter motor, there's also no automatic transmission option for this engine, which seems almost essential for the U.S. Ford says it is working on a dual-clutch, semiautomatic transmission, but that it's a ways off yet.

Bottom Line: The Focus is one of Europe's best-selling family cars, so we expected this 1.0-liter EcoBoost to be a damp squib, but were proved wrong. This is a well-engineered and exciting little car with good performance.

That said, to get that performance, you'll need to drive with some aggression and redline through the gears. It's just the opposite, in fact, of the driving style best used in an all-torque, fuel-sipping diesel. And pushing the three-cylinder like a maniac, you'll be lucky to achieve anything like the expected fuel consumption.

On the other hand, you will be having fun, and it's just possible this is the best-riding Focus of all. At more than $25,000 in Europe, this is an expensive way to save fuel, but we reckon the U.S. price will have to be a lot less when you see it next year, probably around $20,000. Given the verve this tiny engine shows in the Focus, we imagine it will inject a surprising amount of pep when Ford drops it in the U.S. Fiesta.

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